Forever's End
by Sugar-induced-Duck
Summary: Sequel to Eternally Yours. It's been nine years since the promised day and the Elric brother's restored their bodies. Edward still continuing his studies in the west and Alphonse in the East. However, with Edward's family beginning to grow and Alphonse's withdrawn behavior starting to cause concerns, Alphonse is forced to seek out what has been forgotten.
1. Chapter 1

Restored

These days her shoes had no grip. The sidewalk was always wet, and the threat of rain loomed in the evening. Mornings were dim & cold and the walks to the farmers' market were slow. Persephone watched as her breath smoked and rose above her. September was ending.

A simple golden leaf pirouetted down an invisible spiral of breeze, spinning through the air as it let itself be carried down. It shook slightly, as if it could have been whisked away any second by the grip of an icy wind but kept floating down the twirling course. It blew past her face and landed lightly on the ground. It was so delicate, she wanted to reach down and pick it up and hold it close to her heart, smoothing out any creases, but something told her that it belonged there, this corpse of what was once summer.

Autumn, the end of the beginning. Persephone shivered as she felt the cold wind blow against her, picking up the golden orange leaves from the ground. Persephone spotted a secluded bench to sit on in the far corner of the bustling open market, deciding for the one underneath the ancient oak tree where more, crisp, golden leaves lay like a blanket on its floor. She settles herself and places her hatbox suitcase by her feet.

"Before I leave," Persephone whispers to herself, scanning to the steadily building crowd, searching for a clue, a sign to her empty longing. Something was special about this town of Resembool, she could feel it. "Just one more time."

She closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath. Soon she allows her physical consciousness to drift off, trying to "feel" any sort of connection she could to this place. Concentrate. Meditate. Try to remember.

"Hi there," Persephone hears a voice call out. The voice had a soft deep treble to it. Like the warm fire that she has wished for a moment ago, Persephone felt her belly warm and skin tingle. She opened her eyes just as soon. And they met, golden to golden.

He was tall, with a heavier build but easy to tell that it was mostly muscle despite him wearing a dark brown trench coat and green cotton sweater. His short golden blonde hair, that was neatly styled to fall lightly on the left side, complemented his golden-brown eyes. And those eyes. For a moment she felt that she had recognized him as someone that she used to know, with such great familiarity, her palms sweated. But just as soon as she felt she had known him so dearly, to the point she felt the urge to kiss him, the thought had left her and she were looking at a stranger.

He seemed to have stopped for a moment too, once their eyes met. As if he were searching her too. He thinks back to the dreams he had the night previous and how it were like he were seeing through someone else's perspective. The woman of his dreams, and even though he had never seen her, he knew somehow that the lady sitting in front of him was connected. Her trails of golden hair so bronzed like an autumn's sunset matched the one he'd seen in his dreams. And her eyes, even though he'd never laid sight on them, they were all the evidence he needed. He had seen himself through those eyes.

"I'm sorry, are you lost?"

* * *

Three days after the Promise Day and Alphonse finally having his body restored, he woke up in almost a startle when the sun rays seeped through the hospital room curtains. His body, even though emaciated jolted with such strength his elbows had buckled from the shock of sitting up. His IV strip reminding him to not move too harshly.

"Woah, Al," Alphonse heard his brother call out in a groggy tone, him waking up from Alphonse's sudden movements. Edward had been spending every night in Alphonse's room, on the armchair at the end of his bed, not daring to leave his side ever since they got their bodies back. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Alphonse responded, his body gradually beginning to sweat. He furrowed his brows as if trying to concentrate on something, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Something was off, and incredibly wrong. His lips tasted of iron and his head was settling into a low throbbing.

He blinked and for a moment his eyes flashed to the image of a woman who's face he could not see, like it was blurred. It was night, the room was dark and illuminated by the streetlights outside and his brother, Edward, was sound asleep at the foot of his bed. The woman sat in front of him, long golden hair pooled at her waist and his thigh as she leaned closer to him, her hands caressing his.

"Goodbye," she whispered. Her voice seemed so sad and forlon. She kisses his lips and then the vision is gone and instead of the woman it is Edward that is in front of him and still in the early hours of the morning.

"Al?" Edward says again, worry in his voice. He puts his palm to Alphonse's forehead, "Are you feeling ok? You've gone pale and sweating really bad."

"My head," Alphonse manages to speak up, clearing his throat, "Just hurts a little…I think. It's been a while since I've felt anything."

"Right," Edward said getting up so fast. "Pain must be a big shock to your body since it's been in limbo. I'll go get a nurse to help you."

"W-wait, brother," Alphonse said, his eyes weakly looking around the room. "Was someone here last night?"

"Huh?" Edward said, a brow raised at the question, "Sure Al, a lot of people were here last night. You've been getting guests like you're the Queen of Drachma."

"Right," Alphonse said, shaking his head, though in disagreement. Yes, he remembered that. These past few days have been nothing but full of excitement and fatigue. And he felt like there was an extra element to that excitement that has suddenly been…misplaced.

"Maybe I'm just tired," Alphonse chuckled, leaning into his pillow. Tired, something he had forgotten he'd ever get to be for a while. Who would have thought getting your body restored would be full of so much…uncomfortable sensations? He had felt so foreign being back in his body but all the same as if he were back home.

"Hey," Edward spoke up. His eyes were glossed from the hints of tears he was holding back as he briskly ran his restored arm through his hair, jolting a little from his own touch. "We did it Al, we did it."

Alphonse weakly smiled at his brother, although he knew he was full of genuine joy and some relief he couldn't help being at a loss at those words.

Yes, they restored their bodies, every day for those past three days of celebrations were all the proof he needed to understand that. However, something was amiss. And for the next nine years to come at those small moments where he'd be alone with his thoughts, Alphonse knew, something, someone was missing.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Eye of the storm

"When are you coming home?" he heard Winry question once he had gotten to the phone. Alphonse inwardly sighed, relaxing his face into an apologetic grimace. He turned to the two young Xingese maid-servants that stood behind him, doing a slight head bow to excuse them from the highly decorated office room they were in.

"Hi, Winry," Alphonse said timidly over the phone, "How've you been?"

"Oh no," Winry said, her voice lowering into a menacing tone, "You're not getting out of this one, it's been almost 8 months since we've seen you!"

"Brother's home?" Alphonse said, settling himself onto a nearby armchair. Surprised that Edward didn't tell him when he left Drachma for Amestris.

"Something came up," Winry said quietly, "So he caught an early train back."

"Oh…what happened?" Alphonse asked.

"T-That's beside the point," Winry said. "You need to come home, we're worried sick about you Al. Ed says you don't sound like you're getting enough sleep? Are you still getting nightm-"

"I'm fine Winry," Alphonse said, sinking deeper into the chair wanting to disappear inside it. "I've just been hitting a wall trying to decipher some ancient alkahestry texts."

Even though all she was doing was lecturing him, Alphonse couldn't help chuckle at the sound of her huffing. He looked over to the window across from him giving him a view of the dewy plains that stretched across the private lands he was currently being hosted in. Ever since the day nine years Alphonse decided to dedicate his studies in the east, Mei's rank within the Emperor's successors had only risen, proving her worth to the Xingese empire as a chosen heir. The hilltop land that he lived within was only a small portion of the wealth that she has acquired so far.

 _The path taken through the meadow was as visible as any rail in a fresh snowfall. The tall grasses, inflexible in their dryness were flattened from the far hedgerow to the canopy of woodland leaves, the body now stood drinking in the shade. They marveled at their path, so ragged and bent, not at all the straight line they had imagined themself walking. The wild flowers were a cacophony of colour on the fading green; purple thistles, blue cornflowers, red poppies and tall asters with their yellow centers._

" _Xing is such a contrast from Xerxes," they spoke up, turning their gaze to face their companion, a tall man with long golden hair that was tied back in a ponytail, with a thick medium length beard. They were currently searching the grass for herbs to take back to the village._

" _Isn't that right Hohenheim?"_

"Hello? Al?"

Alphonse jolted back from his daze, blinking his eyes tightly as if he were trying to refocus his sight.

"Yeah," Alphonse cleared his throat, his mouth feeling dry and his head beginning to start the low throbbing his was so used to at this point. "Home, sure, um is brother up? I'm surprised he hasn't called if he's been home."

"About that Al," Winry sighed, "Ed's usually at a loss of words for things like this with you. He blames himself for a lot of things. So…at times like this, he's not very sure how to approach you. He doesn't feel he has the right to –"

"Wow, something serious must have happened?" Alphonse perking up from Winry's choice of words, "Guess I can't talk myself out of this huh?"

"Nope," Winry chuckled, "This is me coming to you, Al, as your family. Please come home, your studies can wait."

Alphonse sighed. There's no way he could refuse after hearing her say it like that. No matter how much a part of him was protesting the thought of going back to Resembool. After the wedding, granny Pinako's funeral and what happened eight months prior to when he was last home, he couldn't bring himself to show much face.

He could still feel the warm searing heat on his chest from that night and the panic in every person's face as they watched him writhe in pain. It was all engraved in his mind, himself very surprised by how freely he could still cry from sheer fear and intense agony.

"Ok," Alphonse said, smiling. "I guess I should take a break. It has been a while since I've had some good apple pie. I have to admit it's a little awkward watching the staff search high and low to find homemade recipes."

"Good," Winry said, "We miss you, Al. And we love you, even if you brothers don't know how to say it clearly."

"Sheesh, Winry," Alphonse laughed, feeling for his growing beard. "Cut us some slack. I'll be sure to set up arrangements to leave in a week, is that ok?"

"Sure is!" Winry said, "Ed's gonna be here for a while … so it'd be good for him to see you sooner than later. You two have a lot of catching up to do."

"I bet."

"Oh! I gotta go Al. I have to get ready to open shop in a couple of hours. But Ed should be calling you later, he's still asleep. He barely got here in the middle of last night. It's barely dawn."

"I figured," Al said, taking a quick glance at his wrist watch. It was a quarter after 2 o'clock in the afternoon, his time. "Don't work yourself too hard Winry."

"You too, Al," Winry said softly, "See you in a week. Goodbye"

"Right, Bye." As soon as Alphonse hung up the phone he leaned forward from the chair, massaging his temples.

He glanced around the room, walking over to the mahogany desk where a glass tumbler and bottle of whisky where. He poured some whiskey into the glass and began to help himself to sips of it. Looking over the state of the half-organized clutter a top the desk. Several stacks of notes that were written at night after frenzied nightmares. Pens in tins, floor to ceiling bookshelves hoarded the room, books leaning against one another in different direction. Alphonse sat on the desk, taking a deep chug of the whiskey.

"You can't keep avoiding them anymore?" Alphonse heard someone speak up from the entryway of the office.

"Mei," Alphonse turned to see the princess of Xing standing before him, dressed in traditional Xingese clothing of the royal family. He quickly stood up from the chair to bow to her but was immediately stopped by her when she raised her hand to gesture him to halt.

"It's just me here," Mei smiled at him, blushing when their eyes had finally met. Reaching her hand out to him, Alphonse took it and wrapped her arm around his. They walked from the office towards a wooden sliding door that lead to the back of the compound. There they were greeted to the soothing view of the high plains, the tall grasses gracefully swayed from the soft winds that stretched over the lands. A mist resting softly on the mountain peaks to the far distance like a cloth draped over a pillow.

"I didn't know you had time for a visit, Mei," Alphonse spoke as they walked around the compound. "How're things at the capital."

"Politics as usual," Mei sighed, letting go of Alphonse's arm to stretch her over her head, hitching the hem of her dress an inch off the ground. Alphonse couldn't help to inwardly chuckle at how engulfed Mei's petite body appeared in the dress.

"It's hard building allies among the chosen children, Ling being the next in line and my first confidant within the family makes it difficult to test the intentions of my other siblings."

"Sounds complicated," Alphonse said, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets. "I'm guessing Ling must be adjusting well now."

"He is definitely thriving," Mei sighed, stopping in her steps and Alphonse following suit. "Things seem to be peaceful for the time being, but we can never be too careful. The state of the country is shaky still."

"But enough about that," Mei perked up. "I didn't come all the way out here to talk about state of affairs! Alphonse-sama you can be so dense at times."

"Oh, I'm sorry Mei," Alphonse said. "Lately, I've been get nothing but scoldings."

"I overheard you're leaving to Amestris?"

"Yeah, I hope its no inconvenience," Alphonse said, "I've been under your care for so long. I'm indebted to you."

"Of course not," Mei said, shaking her head, the hair ornaments attached jangling. "You've helped me so much in the past."

"Yeah…the past," Alphonse says distantly, fixing his gaze on the mountains in the horizon.

"W-will you be alright going back?" Mei continued, staring at her feet, "Eight months ago you were in such a rush to come back like you were running from something. It seemed like your last visit left a bad taste in your mouth."

"You worry too much about me," Alphonse weakly smiled while scratching his chin, soft blonde stubble grazing his fingers. Irritation beginning to seep into his voice. "It's like ever since I got my body back, I'm being treated like glass."

Alphonse removes his gaze from the mountains to look at Mei, only to feel his throat drop to his stomach. Her eyes had become swelled with tears threatening to fall. He hated when he did this to her. She's never meant any harm, and Alphonse knew that, and he understood much more too. Her feelings for him. It'd been three years now since she first admitted her affections with all seriousness for him. And as much as he wished he could reciprocate, with all the sense it made to him, he couldn't help but think that it wouldn't be fair to the princess. She deserved someone more honest with themselves than him.

"I-I'm sorry," Alphonse tried to apologize.

"I wish I knew where the key to your heart was," Mei said, quickly rubbing the tears from her eyes, "So I could take a glance of what it is that you guard so much."

"Mei, don't –"

Mei reaches her hand out to caress his cheek, him sadly leaning into the touch, "I understand not to pry. Something has you so captive that you won't share with me."

"I wish I could," Alphonse sighed, taking a hold of Mei's hand that was on his cheek to kiss the palm. He so wanted to fall to her comfort. To offer her what she wished from him, his heart."

But he couldn't.

"Just know you can always come to me," Mei says, leaning into his chest.

"Mei," Alphonse tries to speak up, only to be silenced by Mei's lips. Their kiss quickly becomes intimate as Alphonse gets lost in her touch. He runs his hands to her hair, loosening the ornaments. Making a trail to the bedroom.

And every time they shared a bed together, like they would this night. Alphonse hated himself more and whatever was the reason that robbed his consciousness when he closed his eyes. The nightmares and the dreams.

That night as they both laid in bed together, spent from their deed, he dreamed.

"Tell me about yourself," his father's suit of armor speaks out loud as they stared out the opening of the cargo train. It was a temperate summer evening. The night was a dark deep blue with few stars, and even though the train was moving at a steady speed it was still obvious the songs of the crickets and bugs that emerged at night accompanied by the whisper of the wind. It was a beautiful night, Alphonse thought to himself as he glanced from the suit of armor that cradled the body and the passing view before him. It left him in a mood that he recognized as tranquility as the body settled between the armored suit's legs.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that Al," Alphonse says against his will, like his lips were being moved on auto-pilot, he could feel their heart beat a little faster at the statement. "At this point you know everything about me, my secrets that I've been keeping. The fact that my purpose –"

"Yes," the suit of armor sighed, patting the body's, Alphonse's, head as the body scoffed at the suit of armor, "But what about you. What makes you laugh, smile, cry. What's your favorite color? What has your life been like, what has the world looked like through your eyes?"

"What the world looks through my eyes."

" _Goodbye, Al."_

" _I'm sorry, Al."_

" **Try not to forget me, Al."**

* * *

Thousands of kilometers west from Xing's borders lay the ancient ruins of what was once the Xerxian empire. Some refugee Ishbalans that were displaced since the Ishabalan civil war were now beginning to claim some parts of the ruins to make camp and settle home. Shops and midway points were making rise in these ruins for travelers that made pit stops between Amestris and Xing.

That night, a little further from the camps, mostly of abandoned towers that stood the test of time and sand, a small miracle was brewing. The clouds had gathered in the sky, blotting out the old-silver of the moon. It begins with a dance. The winds playing games with the sand and the sand dancing along. Ephemeral flurries, a shape-shifting fabric of turbulence, scurrying grains. The wind gathers, the air becomes oppressive and the brilliant dark sky takes on a threatening dullness as the cargo of dust changes spectrum. In the eye of the storm, sheets of particles clash and come together, making shape.


	3. Chapter 3

REM

As she rouse from a heavy slumber she is first aware of the coolness of the air and it's loamy fragrance despite the glaring sun she felt cooking her skin. Her eyes were still shut as she soaked in the warmth before letting her golden eyes see the sun's rays. First thing she realized was that she was laying on a wooden bench, lumpy, as if I were on a bed of earth and rocks. She feels for her body and notices an oversized brown ragged shirt placed over her otherwise naked body. She half wonders if she is still dreaming as she sits up to take in the shafts of light that burst through the holes in the cloth canopy above. Now she feels awake, perhaps more awake than she's ever felt in years.

"Good morning there, miss."

She swiftly turns her head to where the voice is coming from, to reveal a tall bald dark skinned, red eyed man in front of him. The canopy seemed to be a merchant stall, shiny trinkets and carved goods.

"She awake, dear?" A young woman says, suddenly peaking from the side of the stall. Dark skinned like the man before her, with vibrant red eyes and a sparkling smile and long thick dark hair tied in a high pony tail.

The girl in question sat up quickly once she registered where she was, clinging to the thin blanket that was placed over her.

"Poú eímai?" the girl said, stammering in her words.

"Hey slow down sweetie," the merchant's wife said slowly approaching the girl. Ushering her husband to leave the stall. "My name's Nour. You seemed to have had a rough time last night. We found you outside this morning, it looked like your caravan was caught in the storm last night."

"Noor?" the girl said, concentrating on Nour's lips as she spoke as if she were deciphering a code. Then her hands quickly went to her temples as she crouched over from the intense sharp pain she suddenly felt.

"AAH!" she screamed

"Honey," Nour's husband said, storming back into the stall. "Everything ok? Authorities are on their way and they're bringing a doctor."

"I'm fine," Nour said, pulling the girl into her chest as the girl began to burst in tears from the pain, small whimpers escaping her lips. Trying to comfort her. "She just suddenly –"

"No, no, no." the girl cried, "No doctor, no."

* * *

Alphonse sits up suddenly from his sleep, his ears ringing, and eyes felt like needles were pricking them. He had to blink his eyes profusely as if it would make the pain fade. His arm reached out to the space beside him as the rubbed at his face, half-expecting someone there, but unsurprised to find it empty with the tell-tale signs from the disheveled sheets and pillows due to their activities last night. Mei had already left the compound before dawn could catch up to her. Despite Alphonse's reasons for not committing, they came to terms that their relationship would've been strained anyway since Mei is considered a valuable heir to the Xingese empire. The scandal would be near irreparable if she were caught red handed in the throes of sex and passion with a foreign alchemist.

Alphonse adjusts his knees across his chest and rested his arms on them, releasing a deep sigh.

" _It's exciting, isn't it?" Alphonse remembers Mei saying to him, as he pressed her onto the king-sized bed decorated with the finest feathers and silks in the land. He continued to adorn kisses on her neck._

" _What is," Alphonse half laughs, sitting up to look deeply into her eyes, as his stomach quivered. Beautiful ebony eyes complemented her charcoal colored hair and skin pale as the moon. He knew most would disapprove of what they were doing, or at least with how surface level their relationship had become._

" _Sneaking around," Mei smiles at him, sitting up as well, her robe slipping off her shoulders with practiced ease and grace. Her small perky breasts exposed to the chilled air. "It adds some excitement to what we're doing, right Alphonse-sama?"_

" _Does that bother you?" Alphonse asks, running his hand through long dark hair, brushing it and massaging the nape of her neck, "I can tell by your pressure points you've been stressed."_

" _Let's not talk about that," Mei hurriedly says, stretching her arms over his shoulders, inviting him closer as she kisses him deeply. Licking his lips, "I'm not a child anymore, I know what I can and can't handle, what I can and can't attain."_

 _Alphonse kissed her back, feeling his guilt swell._

" _I'll never inherit the empire," Mei says, unbuttoning Alphonse's collared shirt, revealing his toned physique. "Even then I can't marry or be with the one I love, traditions won't allow it. So, let me enjoy these moments we share with no heavy questions."_

He sighs the memory away, now wasn't the time to linger, he had some errands to run to prepare for his journey through the dessert and back to Amestris.

* * *

The girl wakes again from her fright. This time she is no longer in the merchant stall, but in what looks like a bedroom. The walls are reddened clay, keeping the temperature cool despite the heat from outside. The room was dimly lit, nothing more occupied it but the bed, two straight-backed chairs, a washstand, a bureau without any mirror and a small table. The room gave her the sense that it was meant for new aspiring home owners.

The bed she's laying on is worn out but the most comfortable she had slept on in what she feels like ages. She reverently rubs her fingers against along the cotton sheets and presses her cheeks to the cool pillows, she wants to succumb back to slumber, but her body is restless. She hears people from the other side of the door, whispering.

She gets up quickly from the bed, throwing the blankets on the floor and quickly scans the room. Anything to help her out of the predicament. She notices on the table a sewing kit and grabs the threading needle.

On the other side of the door, the merchant man and his wife were discussing about their sudden guest with who seemed like a doctor and a military police officer.

"She's a little feverish," the woman said to the doctor, "And on edge, the poor thing."

"And you say you found her off the camp outskirts?" the police officer said, jotting down on a notebook.

"Yeah," the Ishvalan merchant spoke up, crossing his arms over his large chest. "She must have been caught up in the storm last night, but we think that there might be more…to her."

"Oh, why?" the officer asked

"Well," the merchant said, looking to his wife, who in turn turned to face the doctor.

Clearing his throat, the doctor, an elderly bespectacled man interjected, "She might need to be taken into custody, I'm suspecting human trafficking."

"Go on?"

"She was found naked," the doctor said, the woman shivering next to her husband. "Not only that she has scarring all over her body, I suspect from significant abuse. Also scar stretched from her sternum down to the pubic area. From the texture of the scarring, it seems to frequently tear too, not given enough time to heal –"

They hear a loud thump echoed from the room behind them. The Ishvalan merchant immediately moves his wife behind him, as the police officer bounds for the door, hand on holster. He quietly open the door only to be faced with a long golden haired girl staring back in fear and horror. Her hands and borrowed white dress are bloodied, and in her hand she's gripping the threading needle.

She looks over to the doctor, and although she does not know the man and recognize him, her eyes widen in panic from recognizing the significance of his white lab coat.

"Calm down," the officer says in a low non-threatening tone. "No one's going to hurt you here."

"No," the girl whimpers, dropping the needle to the floor. "Téras"

She lifts her hands up, palms facing forward as if in surrender. Revealing intricately drawn transmutation circles scratched onto each palm.

"Get back!" the police officer quickly yells.

It was like a slight tingle that ran underneath her skin, seeping from her pores and striking anything around her perimeter. Drawing energy from her palms she released it with little precision to the wall of the room, dust and debris and complete destruction in her wake.

And by the time they came to, the girl was gone.

There are no paths around me and no sign of another person. As far as I can tell I am alone with the birds who make their carefree song around me, and in that sweet melody I feel more alone. This bizarre nightmare is mine alone. It's worse though than it first appears, usually after this point in waking I know who I am, and I don't. I can't think of a name that belongs to me or a single person I know. Any face my subconscious offers has as much resonance as a total stranger. I wouldn't know my own mother if she walked right in front of me, if I have one that is.

* * *

Thanks for being patient & reading!

It was an extremely hard labor getting this chapter out. Been busy with school and doctor appointments. Pls leave a comment! Thnx


	4. Chapter 4

If You Want To Go Far, Go Together

 _There are no paths around me and no sign of another person. As far as I can tell I am alone with the birds who make their carefree song around me, and in that sweet melody I feel more alone. This bizarre nightmare is mine alone. It's worse though than it first appears, usually after this point in waking I know who I am, and I don't. I can't think of a name that belongs to me or a single person I know. Any face my subconscious offers has as much resonance as a total stranger. I wouldn't know my own mother if she walked right in front of me, if I have one that is._

She ran as fast as her bare feet could take her against the scorching desert ground, away from the fallen building and crowd forming around the debris. Shoving the people that approached away from her path, weaving behind merchant stalls and alleys, the girl found a shaded alleyway to hide by. As she slowed, she spotted and squatted by a bucket of water and cupped a few sips from it, her palms stung from the contact. The water was dirtied but the coolness refreshed her dry tongue and helped to calm her racing mind. She licked her lips and looked around her, she knew they'd find her soon if she didn't take this opportunity of confusion to escape.

She grabbed what looked like a shawl from the stall that they alleyway stood behind, and wrapped it around her head and face, only her golden eyes were revealed. She continued to walk through the crowds, keeping her head down and trying her best not to draw much attention to herself.

Peeking from where she hid, she noticed that the civilians were distracted from trying to clear the debris to get to the inhabitants that were trapped inside. This was her chance to get away.

She turned her gaze from the opposite side of the street, facing south and she noticed what looked to be a rest stop for caravans, getting ready to cross the dessert. She knew immediately that she needed to get into one of those and escape the area. Otherwise, sooner or later she'd be found. She tightened her shawl and made for a quick break toward the caravans, nearly tripping in her strides.

With her heart pounding as if it would fly out her chest, she clung to any of the male merchants that looked at her quizzically or tugged at the women who attended to the camels.

"Voíthisé me!" she cried out, "se iketévo!"

And each time she was denied, most would ignore her, or shoo her away, their group not wanting to get involved. But she insisted to keep moving.

"se iketévo!" she said, tears threatening to fall. She had walked far ahead into the rest stop, but she felt more hopeless as the people continued to ignore her, and glance at her perplexed, but not willing to help. She collapsed to her knees, she still felt so worn out and although the hot sun was soothing to her skin earlier when she first woke, right now it was burning at her feet and sweating her body. She needed some clean water and to lay down and rest her racing mind.

"Eísai kalá?"

Surprised to hear words that she understood, she looked up so quickly her neck could have popped only to be greeted by a young girl with white bold teeth, large and deep ebony colored eyes that were almond shaped, dark chocolate skin with a golden undertone that sparkled in the sun and thick kinky black hair that was pulled into a bun that defied gravity.

"Chreiázesai voítheia?" the girl spoke again, turning to face the young man behind her. A tall and thin man, a lighter shade of dark skin, that stood protectively behind her looking warily from behind himself and the girl.

"This is a bad idea Ayana, she seems like trouble," he spoke up, almost glaring at Ayana.

"You shouldn't even be off the carriage; do you know what Oga will do once he comes back?"

"Hush Femi," Ayana rolled her eyes, smoothing the girl's cheeks to get a better look at her, "Oh you're so pretty!" she gushed at her.

"Pos se léne?" Ayana asked her.

Name? The girl squeezed her eyes shut tight. Trying to muster out her name. It was at the tip of her tongue, but it just wouldn't spring forth. She shook her head instead.

"Den gnorízo," the girl said, "Parakaló voithíste me, den boró na meíno edó!"

"What is she saying?" Femi said, sighing. He kicked off his sandals and approached the two women, fitting the girl's feet into his sandals. He winced at the site of her burnt feet.

"She said she doesn't know her name and she need help leaving here," Ayana said back at Femi as she stood up and dusted the sand off her multi-patterned skirt and white shirt.

"Poor girl," Ayana said, helping the girl up and leaning her onto her shoulder and arm wrapped around her waist. "She must have gotten mixed up with the traffickers up north of the desert, she speaks the old tongue."

"I'm surprised how fair she is to be from the northern deserts," Femi said, "Ask her if she's far from home."

"No h-home," the girl stuttered, her eyes fluttering from exhaustion, "eímai mónos."

They carried her over to their gathered caravan, a small group of young men and women with complexions all within the dark brown ranges of Femi and Ayana. Some of what looked like the older women wore their bellies out with a long multi-patterned fabric wrapped around their waist and thin fabric binding their chests, adorned in gold colored jewelry. The other women who seemed to be closer to Ayana's age were dressed more like her.

They walked down the line of camels in their caravan, until they approached a tall, thick built man with sun tanned skin and green eyes.

"Who is this?" he questioned immediately, eyeing them but specifically the girl with them, "She wasn't with us before."

"She's my sister from Amestris," Ayana said, nudging Femi to catch on, "She's been waiting for me for a week now for my arrival."

"Sister?" the man said, not entirely believing her, "The arrangement said that I was to help deliver 8 aṣẹwó, 4 girls in waiting and 2 young boys to watch them. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"But there's only one young boy," Ayana argued back, "Simon didn't come with us, so try to be reasonable, _Mo beere lọwọ rẹ_. My madam will pay you well for bringing such a beauty back home safely."

"What about a camel?" the travel guide said, "It's two women a camel, she can't possibly walk the whole journey."

"She can share a camel with me," Femi interjected, readjusting his hold on the girl who at this point was fighting with herself to look less helpless and suspicious to the man. "After all, my partner didn't come so I have room for one more and the girl isn't one of the aṣẹwó or with Ayana's group."

"Hmm," the guide looked at girl one more time, "And do you not speak? What's your name girl?"

"N-name?" the girl looked panicked at Ayana, her golden eyes pleading at her.

"P-Persephone!" Ayana said quickly, turning to the guide and the girl. "Go on talk to the man, tell him your name…Persephone."

"Persephone," she slowly said, getting a taste of the name on her lips, "My name is Persephone."

And as if something clicked, like a spark running through the nerves in her body. It was as if her mind cleared from the fog from when she initially woke, she extended her hand from Femi's shoulder to the guide. Trying her best to smile with her eyes.

"Thank you for help," she said.

"R-right," the man blushed, taking her hand and giving a quick shake. "Just hurry up and get to your camels. We need to leave right away looks like some rascals are causing some trouble in land and we don't want to catch any bad attention from the military police."

"Right," Ayana smiled, almost jumping in her spot, "Let's go Sephi, I bet your feet are tired."

"Yes," Persephone said looking to her savior as they walked away from the guide, "Thank you."

"Now that's alright," Ayana said as they finally reached what looked to be Femi's camel, the very last one in their now lined up caravan. The women were now assisting each other onto their own designated camel. "Right Femi?"

Femi chuckled kneeling over to help Persephone up onto the saddled camel, and he smiled at her shrugging his shoulders. "Ayana and I have known each other our whole life and it has always been just the two of us. To start a new life in another country away from what you know, won't be easy. So, come with us. If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

* * *

Edwards awakes to the steady patter of rain upon their bedroom window, droplets yet to scatter the nascent rays of rising sun. The sound brings a calmness to his mind, a soothing melody, a natural lullaby. He turns his side to face his wife. Wife. Even though its almost been a year since their wedding, it's still a concept that surprises him every single time he gazes at her and every single time they share their bed together. His wife.

He reaches his arm forward and caresses her warm cheek with his fingers, lightly brushing them against the soft skin. This causes her to stir in her sleep, but she doesn't wake.

"Mmm," Winry mumbles, "Five more minutes,"

Edward chuckles while brushing stray hairs from Winry's face, "Of course, Win."

He sits up in the bed and stretches his arms, popping the bone. He lets out a long quiet yawn and scratches at his long golden blonde hair that are draped past his shoulders. Since he'd arrived back to Resembool a week ago, he'd been getting the best sleeps he could have hoped for. Of course, it mostly had to do with finally being with his wife and every night before bed they made sure to tire themselves with their bodies to make up for the time they spent apart.

After stretching, Edward slipped out the bed and shuddered slightly when the coolness of the morning air greeted his naked body. Something he still couldn't get used to. He lazily searched for his underwear and walked over to the vanity by the corner of the room. There, he grabbed for a hair tie in a glass bowl that Winry kept for him, then he sloppily pulled his hair into a low ponytail.

He looked back at his wife, Winry, still sleeping in bed. He grabbed his button up shirt from the floor and sauntered out the bedroom and to the stairs, down into the hallway and to the kitchen. He was gonna surprise his wife with breakfast…but what? He scratched his head. He could barely cook but everything he tried never came out as flavorful as he expected. Bland.

"And she's been a little picky nowadays," Edward sighed as he peered into the fridge. "Bacon makes her feel like throwing up, so scrap that. I could getaway with eggs but what else can I pair that with?"

He pulled out the eggs and ham from the fridge and tomatoes, green onions and yellow and green peppers from the pantry.

"I'll try an omelet," he decided as he began to chop away at his ingredients.

It didn't take time before Winry woke up to a satisfying smell coming from the kitchen. Her stomach growled, loudly.

"Ooooh," Winry grumbled, peeking one eye open to notice her husband wasn't in bed with her. Mornings had become a little tough on her, harder to get out of bed and get ready to open shop. "Ed was supposed to wake me up."

Another waft of what Edward was cooking downstairs hit her again and her mouth immediately began to water. She sat up, with the covers falling off her revealing her full breasts and slightly swollen belly.

It wasn't particularly large, her belly, but it had now become harder for her to fit into her regular jeans, which made her to resort to dresses and elastic band pants 'til she found the time to go out into town to shop for better fitting clothes. She rubs her belly gently as if to greet the life forming inside of her.

"Do you smell what I smell peanut?" Winry says to her tummy, "That's your Daddy cooking for us."

She chuckled again, after she heard a loud clang from downstairs and Edward cursing.

"Guess I gotta go help before he burns the house down."

* * *

Night had fallen since the caravan had returned to their journey to Amestris. The twilight had stolen away the colors of the day. The last vestiges of the setting sun disappeared over the horizon, the copper hues giving way to a dusty purple scattered with the occasional glitter in the faraway star. The distant skyline stood silhouetted against a velvety sky, the golden dusk enveloped by the twilight sky.

Persephone's gaze was transfixed to the dark canvas, her eyes locked almost as if unable to tear away from the truth of the cosmos just beneath the velvet silk.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Femi said behind her, startling her back to reality, "How dark it is when there are no street lights."

Persephone only let out a low hum in reply to Femi. She instead focused on the camels that were in front of them and the way their hooves sunk into the deep sand with each step, the way their large bodies swayed in rhythm, a steady lull.

"You'll find your words soon enough," Femi sighed, tugging at the reins of the camel to pick up its speed.

"My words," Persephone thought to herself, not even realizing that she understood his words. She felt her heart sink at her thoughts, sink like cement into her stomach as her mouth began to dry and shoulders slightly slump.

"I don't need it."

"Hmm," Femi said, thinking he heard her speak, "Say something?"

She shook her head fiercely, her shawl almost coming undone.

 _The Doctor carried her to the cellar, her feet dragging against every stone tile on the floor. The air was damp and there were no windows to welcome in any light, just the dim flickering of one ceiling lightbulb. Even then, the dim light made her skin sparkle and glow and her long golden hair shone like glowing energy as it carpeted the floor. He sat her on the cold ground, legs stretched out and arms chained to the wall. She couldn't speak, the drugs kept her mouth heavy and eyes too weak to stay open. Still, she tried to fight it, she lifted her head, weakly bobbing left to right, and looked at him, even if her sight and his figure were blurred she would burn it all to her memory. The white lab coat and the metal pocket watch that_ dangled _from its pocket. He looked back at her, and he smiled._

" _Now I'm glad this worked out," he said taking a hold of her chin, "We can continue our work with no more interruptions."_

 _Inside she was screaming, crying for help. She didn't know who would come and what could liberate her from this nightmare. Why this strange man brought her here and why she couldn't remember a damn thing since before she was found in front of the hospital._

" _Now don't get me wrong miss," the man continued to speak, but now she could barely hear his words. Her consciousness was beginning to fade, "I wouldn't call this an obsession. I'd call it fate."_

* * *

Sorry about the long Hiatus! But Thanks for all the new favs and follows! Had to really think about how I was going to map out this story. Here's Chapter 4! Leave a review if you have any thoughts!

Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Lachrymose

Strange. That's the most Roy Mustang could say about this case. Strange.

It first started off about a missing retired state alchemist. According to the man's files, he had immediately retired after the Ishvalan civil war, starting a new profession, a clinical psychiatrist. Nothing about the man came up to be suspicious. When he worked as a state alchemist, he was mostly focused on research and medical aid. He wasn't directly involved on the front lines during the war and he wasn't involved in any of the human experimentations that occurred during the civil war.

James Cranston. Born in Dublith, where he acquired majority of his formal education, aided his ailing father to run the family's pharmacy during most of his twenties then part-timed at the local hospital as a psychiatrist. His pharmaceutical knowledge paired with his alchemic knowledge made him a major figure in the hospital he part-timed in. However, it came as a surprise to his father and patients when his ambition in alchemy overshadowed his steady career in medicine, pursuing a position as a dog of the military.

He was clearly a man whose sole pursuit in life was knowledge, from how he was able to jump from one craft to the other. A jack of trades.

"The Mind Weaver Alchemist," was his title according to his files. He wrote many dissertations on the consciousness, subconsciousness, and manipulation of memories. His most notable impact, the manipulation on fabricated memories. Implanted truth to the consciousness.

"He sounds like a quack," Havoc said once Roy was done de-briefing his staff. "Why's this important again?"

"Well," Mustang sighed, rearranging the paperwork back into its folder and handing it to his Hawk's eye, Riza, who stoically stood by the right side of his desk. "He's lived the past twenty years since the civil war quietly, as a retired state alchemist, devoting his time as a shrink at Dublith's psychiatric hospital, to only just disappear now. Without a single trail for weeks now. A missing state alchemist can be considered a national emergency, especially given our recent history."

"Maybe…" Fuery interjected, pushing his glasses up his nose bridge, "He's taking time off?"

"If that were the case, we wouldn't be dealing with a missing person's report," Breda gruffly said sinking into the chair he was on, "A missing state alchemist can be considered an national emergency, especially one that was involved in some research during the Ishvalan civil war. There could still be grey areas we are unaware of. How are we still dealing with this nine years later? I thought we vetted every person involved."

"Yes," Riza said, "Basically every person involved has been placed under strict surveillance by the newly established parliament. He must have been disregarded since he had been retired for so long and remained uninvolved with the state afterwards. He wasn't regarded as a person of interest."

"So," Roy spoke up again, crossing his arms and sitting up straighter in his chair, his team focusing on what he'd say next.

"We know nothing is has ever been as it seems for this country, ever. Some mice may have slipped the cracks and might be reemerging again once power has been disrupted."

"Some really patient mice," Havoc said sarcastically.

"Sir," Riza said to Roy, bringing forth a small stack of paper she was holding. On top of the stack was a missing person's poster. "I did the liberty of doing a little investigation on the matter myself. We may have a double missing persons case."

* * *

It took about two days by the time the caravan reached the outskirts of the quiet hill town of Resembool. From the distance she noticed rustic cabins dotted the grassy hills as trees stood up like spikes, zigzagging the border of worn-down paths, unpaved roads and unpolished homes. Further into the country town's horizon rivers streamed through deep valleys.

The countryside expanded before her like a great quilt of golden brown and green squares held together by the thick green stitching of the hedgerows. It rose and fell like giant waves on a gentle ocean and was dotted with animals; horses, sheep and cows grazing. As they approached closer, once the caravan had gotten through customs and began through the city, Persephone would occasionally notice there were wooden fences that separated fields, a farmhouse, barns or homes.

They soon reached a river bed where they settled the camels to rest and drink. Persephone never felt so relieved to be off the camels. The minute her feet touched the grass, she kicked her sandals off and spread her toes into the earth. Immediately after she laid herself onto the grass and stretched her limbs, cracking them.

The air here felt so welcoming.

"Sheesh someone couldn't wait to get off their camel," Ayana laughed, approaching Persephone and Femi once she was done assisting the other aṣẹwó off their camels and settling them onto blankets she and the other servant girls had laid out for them.

Persephone smiled at Ayana, wiggling her toes in response.

"I heard it will be some time before our bus comes for us," Femi said, taking some luggage off his camel, "Do you think we'll have time to look around before then?"

"I hope so," Ayana said, sitting at Persephone's feet, tickling them, making her giggle. "We finally made it to Amestris! The infamous country. I wanna explore before we have to get to work."

"Ayana!" a woman called from the group, "Leave Femi to help the men unpack the camels and come help us set up for lunch. Bring your friend too."

"Alright," Ayana sighed out loud, then looked at Persephone, winking at her, "You heard the woman, c'mon let's get to it."

"Mm," Persephone agreed, nodding and sitting up.

* * *

Winry wanted to kill whoever termed it "morning sickness." She felt as if she constantly were experiencing the worst hangover. she was nauseous and liable to throw up at the slightest provocation. She couldn't even stand the smell of oils and greases that came with working with automail, so her shop spent more times closed than she liked. The fumes often left heaving and running to the back bathroom. And the symptoms lasted all damn day for her. How could something so natural feel so bad?

So, it was no surprise that this morning she was stuck in bed, with a blue pale by her bedside waiting for her to puke in if she couldn't make it to the bathroom. Something that happened more often than she'd like to admit.

"Please leave," Winry said, almost pleadingly to her husband, Edward, who sat on the opposite side of the bed, flipping through a couple of important looking documents, donning spectacles that slid down his nose. "I'll be fine."

"No way," Edward said back, not moving his eyes from the papers. "I'm perfectly fine staying here with you."

"Go to the library," she whined, "I doubt you'd be able to really concentrate worrying about me."

"Not 'til the doctor gets here to check up on you," he said, putting the paper down to look at Winry. "You haven't been able to keep anything down. Not even fluids. I'm not leaving you alone. That's why I'm here. You fainted while I was gone, Win. You didn't even bother to call me immediately after you were seen. Who knows what would've happened if it wasn't at the shop when you had customers around?"

"It was only one time," Winry rolled her eyes, "I feel suffocated by you being home all day with me. Go out, give me some space. Please?"

"No can do."

Winry huffed loudly, readjusted her overly fluffed pillows that has her sat upright and leaned into it. Like a child throwing a silent tantrum.

Edward looked at his dear wife and immediately felt bad. Yes, he believed demanding bed rest was the best he could do for her, or at least 'til her doctor was able to schedule time for a home visit. But, even he knew he'd feel driven insane being forced to stay home in bed all day for the past week, especially if he were the type of person who liked to keep themselves up and busy throughout their day.

The room stayed quiet for a short pause, until they were interrupted by distant squealing of girls. Winry instantly piqued up with interest, turning to their open window. A brow raised she turned to Edward who was also looking with interest. Resembool was a small quiet countryside town and everyone knew before the day even started what everyone's possible plans for the day could be. Young squealing girls was not one of those possible plans.

"Oh c'mon," Winry whined, "Let's just step outside for a little bit, it sounds like its coming from the river bank and I could use some fresh air."

"Winry,"

"Well," Winry said, shifting herself out of bed slowly so not to onset a moment of dizziness and slipping her slightly swollen feet into slippers Edward had placed by her side of the bed, "You can stay in here with your papers, but I'm going to get some fresh air."

By this time Persephone was trying her best not to draw too much attention to herself. Apparently, the site of the handful of brown women in multi-colored and patterned gowns was a new sight to the dwellers in Resembool. What started as a small group of curious neighbors who lived by the river was now a steady crowd of people taking in the sight of the women washing their feet and eating a picnic, waiting for the bus that was supposed to come pick them up.

"It's like these people have no manners," Ayanna scoffed at the people that were un-abashedly staring at them and gossiping among themselves.

"Ayanna stop staring," said the aṣẹwó that Ayanna was currently attending to, straightening out her picnic blanket for her to sit on, while Persephone laid out the basket containing some bread and gruel they had prepared earlier. "Ignore them if it bothers you so much, the people of Amestris are not exposed to much culture outside their own."

Persephone couldn't help giggling at the exchange but quickly gathered her composure once she realized, fastening her shawl tighter around her face.

"What about you," the aṣẹwó said, acknowledging Persephone's presence, "You don't look like you're from where we're from. What's your story?"

"U-um," Persephone stuttered, looking down to her hands as she twiddled the hem of her blouse, "I-I don't have one, a st-story."

"Nonsense," the aṣẹwó scoffed at her, shaking her hand at Persephone in disagreement, "Everyone has a story no matter how small or grand."

Persephone stayed quiet, unsure of what else she could say to get out of this conversation. She turned her attention to the slow stream of the river, its gleam that reflected the sun's ray mesmerized her. She still felt so empty and wished she had the words to respond, but more than anything, she wished she could just disappear from this moment, escape the inner emptiness that she had been feeling since the moment she woke up in that merchant's stall.

"I finally managed to get away," Persephone whispered to herself, "But nothing's changed, I'm still lost."

"Winry!" they heard a frantic male voice call out, "Win, slow down!"

The girls turned around to locate where the voice was coming from, not too far off up the unpaved road that lead to the river bed they sat by. They saw what looked like a slightly pregnant, average height blond haired, blue eyes woman hauling down the road. Behind her was a slightly taller pony-tailed blond man, with golden eyes struggling to balance a blanket and woven basket while keeping up with her.

"Well isn't that cute," the aṣẹwó laughed at the sight.

Persephone smiled at the couple as they found a spot by the river bed, the man laying out the blanket on the grass a couple of feet away from the women, for them to sit on.

"This is what I needed!" Winry exclaimed, kicking her shoes off as she sat down, stretching out her toes, "I couldn't stand spending another minute in bed, when it's so pretty outside."

"You're gonna be the end of me," Edward half laughed, as he started to take out the picnic they had quickly packed from the house; sandwiches, sausage rolls, some pie slices, fruit and a jug of juice.

"You've got quite a feast there," Ayanna spoke up to the couple.

"Yeah," Winry said to her, her eyes gleaming, "Who would've thought pregnancy would make you so hungry."

"How far along are you?"

"18 weeks," Winry proudly said, rubbing her belly. "But never mind me, what brings you all here? I don't mean to be so nosy," Edward snorts through his nose, earning a jab to his ribs from his wife, "Don't mean to be nosy, but you guys are quite different from the migrants we often get from the east."

"We're from the Northern Desert Area," Ayanna said, "Have you ever heard of Fulanos? We're mostly a migrant people of the north desert but we have a capital a little further up from Xerxes."

"Fulanos?" Edward spoke up mid chew of his sandwich, "I kinda remember my brother briefly mentioning your people from his letters. He told me your people are ancient relatives of the Xerxian empire."

"Wow," the aṣẹwó chimed in, "I guess the people of Amestris do receive some education outside of their borders."

"We're slowly expanding our diplomatic relations," Edward said meekly, scratching his chin, "I know in the past we didn't really have the best relations with the countries that bordered us. But my brother and I are part of an initiative sponsored by the government to expand our knowledge and reach with other countries."

"Wow, that sounds…really important. You're government?" Ayanna said, her tone turning cautious and body slightly stiff.

"Oh," Winry slapped her husband's shoulder, "Don't let him intimidate you, it's more research based."

"I see, don't let us disturb you lunch then," Ayanna said about to turn away from the couple.

"What about you?" Winry said, talking to Persephone, "Are you Fulanos?"

Persephone finally peeling her eyes away from the river stream looked over to Edward, as if she were pulled from a trance. She blushed and looked to her feet unsure of what to say.

"She's with us," the aṣẹwó spoke up, clasping onto Persephone's hand, noticing her hesitation.

"Golden hair and eyes," Edward observed her, "I guess Fulanos are really relatives to the Xerxian empire."

"Y-yes," Persephone agreed quietly.

* * *

"Isn't it a little early to be buying clothes?" Edward said, his face buried behind the steadily growing pile of folded baby onesies Winry kept placing in his arms. "I mean we don't even know what the sex is."

"Well, that's why we can buy some unisex," Winry replied, happily placing another heap of onesies in Edward's arms.

Edward stood quietly behind his wife as she continued to rummage through more piles of clothes neatly lined out in front of a local shop. His thoughts drifted back to their brief discussion with the migrants. It didn't take long before they noticed they were making the women uncomfortable with their overt friendliness. Winry thought it best to just eat their food in quiet and continue their day walking about the small town, despite her husband's protests about her needing to go back home and lay down.

"I hope we didn't come off too creepy," Winry sighed as she pulled out another unisex colored onesie, "Being an invalid at home must have ruined my social skills."

"You're thinking about it too much," Edward reassured his wife.

The stayed quiet for a moment while Winry continued to shop, however, there was something that Edward couldn't get off his mind. The golden hair and eyed girl, he couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he felt intrigued to know her backstory.

"That girl," Edward spoke, "She kinda looked like Al and I."

"Well Edward," Winry laughed, "Fulanos are supposed to be related to your father's people remember? You and Al couldn't possibly be the only ones with your features walking the earth, now could you?"

"No," Edward frowned, "I know that but, if Fulanos are our relatives, our traits must be really recessive. But that's not even what I mean."

"What do you mean then?" Winry turned to her husband, giving a worried look.

"I-I just feel like I've seen her somewhere before," Edward said, looking back towards the river bed. There an old rickety bus pulled up to where the group of women were waiting, the women beginning to file into the bus.

* * *

It is barely dawn as the bus trundles down the empty roads leading into another city. Everyone awake, everyone asleep, on the edge of exhaustion from their days of travel but restless from the anticipation of starting their new lives in foreign land. Persephone's eyes are bleary, as she wakes from her slumber, Ayanna still asleep and head cradled on her shoulder. Persephone looks out the window and blows her breath onto it, fogging it, to wipe it clean.

As she wipes the screen for a brief moment a memory creeps through.

 _She remembers sitting in her hospital bed by a window, the early morning sun rays warming her skin to wake her. In the daylight her hair shines, her pale skin betraying her youthful features, as if like a ghost whose visage would flit away with a single gust of wind. Over her lap is a tray of small portioned breakfast foods; a slice of wheat bread she'd only taken a bite of, a glass of orange juice, and a small bowl of white borscht soup._

 _"How are you doing today," a man with short dark brown hair and stubble beard says, sitting on a stool beside her and his hand gently placed on the edge of her bed. She looks away from the window and to the bespectacled man. "You seem to be in deep thoughts lately."_

 _She gazes at the hand on the bed and touches it with her own, wishing to feel the warmth that never comes to her._

 _"Has anything come back to you yet?"_

 _"No," she solemnly says, just as soon as she speaks, moves her hand from his._

 _"Ok," the man sighs. There's a hint of irritation in tone which she caught. She shifted herself more upright in the bed, starting to feel her anxiety begin to settle in._

 _"Let's try to start from the beginning" the doctor, said clicking his pen against his clipboard._

 _"You were found at the reception area of Central City military hospital, it appeared to be as if you were about to check in to visit a patient there. Anything sound familiar yet?"_

 _"N-no," Persephone stutters, turning the cooling borscht soup with a spoon to distract herself from her discomfort. "All I remember is that I needed to see someone, tell them something, warn them about something. Someone."_

 _"Let's try to focus on this person you were trying to see," the doctor continued, the sincerity in the voice not matching the cold tundra in his grey eyes. "Do you think they'd be male or female."_

 _Persephone thought about this question and tried to concentrate on an image. A fleeting moment. Smell. Touch. Anything that would bring her back to him._

 _Him._

 _" **Him!** " she exclaimed with glee, light dimly sparkled in her eyes, "A-A man…in the hospital. I was there to see a man!"_

 _"When can I go back to Central?" she asks, turning to face the doctor at her bedside fully. He looked in his mid-50s, brown hair with streaks of grey. If it weren't for his neatly ironed white lab coat and silver pocket watch that dangled from the chest pocket, there wouldn't be anything about him that made him to stand out._

 _He frowned at Persephone's response._

 _"Now Violet, we've discussed this before," the doctor said, "You're not well enough to go back to Central. Although it is a feat that you remember the gender of the person you were planning to meet. There is no person that was checked in to that hospital that recalls you or knows of you."_

 _"B-But I can feel it," Persephone pleaded._

 _"We need more descriptive factors to narrow him down, that just knowing his gender, child."_

 _Persephone's panic begins to rise, but she tries to calm herself, reminding herself to breathe through her distress like she has been taught. Otherwise she fears she would be sedated again._

 _A memory flashes through her mind of being held down by multiple nurses, strapped to the bed as she tries to kick and scratch herself free. She remembers the doctor procuring a needle to her forearm that made her to sleep for days and when she woke, feeling tired and consciousness fogged for an even longer time._

 _"Plus, you don't even remember why you were there," the doctor continued, "At my hospital, we can provide you the best mental care to put you back on your feet. Until then, you're not stable to go back."_

 _As the doctor said this, Persephone felt her eyes begin to water and her body hot and shaky. She recognized this feeling all too well, she felt another panic episode begin to rise._

 _"I can't stay here," she managed to say through her tears, "I'm wasting time. I-I"_

 _"Hmm," the doctor hummed, getting up from his seat by her bedside and walked to a metal table that had on it a syringe and vial. The doctor began to draw the medicine from the vial as Persephone watched wary. She tried to shift her leg only to have the physical reminder that her legs had been restrained to the bed._

 _"Now, Violet," the doctor calmly said as he approached her, "Let's not make this anymore difficult than necessary. I don't want to have to restrain you again like last time. It's a shame having to use such force and a young lady like yourself."_

 _Persephone whimpered as the needle pierced her skin, the sedative meeting her blood circulation._

 _"I just want to go home," she sighed, her eyes feeling heavy and once again succumbing to a long sleep._

Home.

A loud bang on the one of the van windows woke the women up from their rest.

"Alright you lot wake up, we're here!" they heard a man shout out from outside the van. The women grumbled from their sleep, some yawning and some stretching.

"Welcome to our new lives," Ayanna said, almost dreamlike, staring out the window into the dry desert land streets. They were parked in front of a tall old rustic building, its design telling of a pub/inn.

"Where are we? "Persephone asked, turning to Ayanna, "What is this place?"

"We're in Lior," Ayanna smiled, hugging onto Persephone's arm, "and this is our new home."

"Home," Persephone said quietly, as if to affirm its reality to herself.

Home.

* * *

"I can't help but feel a little silly," Alphonse sighed to himself, alone in the horse drawn carriage that was currently crossing the desert to Amestris. He'd written a letter to his court appointed sponsor that he was leaving back to Amestris and in response they made such a fuss to send him off, as if he were a prince. In fact, this was better treatment than most of the Xingese princes would've gotten. It helped to be so well connected to the crowned prince Ling and princess Mei.

"It's still a bit excessive though."

They made a short stop by the Xerxian ruins, mainly for his escorts to rest and water the horses and trade for food. However, he soon noticed that the place was in a bit of chaos from the events that happened a few days prior. Something about a trafficking victim assaulting a military police officer and some civilians. His escorts thought it best to cut their stop short, not wanting to risk any involvement in the matter.

It was the dead of night now, and Alphonse couldn't fall asleep and although he's much prefer to sit at the front of the carriage with the foot men, making some form of small talk to pass his time, he knew that he'd be impeding on them. He wasn't that much popular among the Xingese people for having such a rumored close relationship with their princess.

Alphonse closed his eyes again, attempting to fall asleep despite his restlessness. The sway of the carriage becoming a soothing lullaby. The evening humidity bringing a sense of nostalgia to him. Like a warm mother's hold.

Alphonse sighed again, opening his eyes. This wasn't his memory. He's never had any type of nostalgic connection to the desert.

"What is going on with me," he said before looking in front of him to the other side of the carriage.

There he was met with what looked like the visage of a person, void of any features, just darkness. Staring at him.

Alphonse jumped in his seat, staring back at the figure. He wanted to shout in surprise, but his lips refused to part and the being just sat there and stared.

The more he looked, the more he could tell that it was a woman that was looking at him. But who?

"W-where," the figure struggled to speak, "m-my baby."

Its hands came up to its face, covering it as if in grief.

"W-where have they taken my baby."

Suddenly, he felt a sharp, searing pain in his head. He clutched the side of his head and hunched over his knees struggling to breath. Sweating profusely, Alphonse looked up, but the figure was no longer there. He was alone again in the carriage.

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A/N: So Ayanna and her people are Fulanos, inspired by the migrant Fulani tribe of North Western Africa. I think I made a mistake in the previous chapters describing their eyes to be dark colored, I meant them to be golden eyed like Ed and Al, eventually I'll correct that. Sorry about that guys. Also thanks for being patient waiting for a update. It's been a tough year trying to adjust to regular life again!

Please remember to leave me a review! Then again, I'm just doing this as an outlet for myself!

I'll have an update soon!

Love!


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